Why Human Being is a Composite of a Plurality of Forms? – John Pecham’s Arguments

In this paper, I offer a concise study of John Pecham’s views on metaphysics and anthropology. While preparing, I relied on four his works: Quaestiones tractantes de anima, Tractatus de anima, Quodlibeta quatuor, and Summa de esse et essentia. I discuss questions regarding the conception of the soul, its origin and division. Next, there is a brief analysis of the views of the Archbishop of Canterbury concerning the problems of matter and theory of the embryo rations (rationes seminales). The last chapter hence discusses the problem of a status of the body of Christ at the time between His death and resurrection in the context of a dispute on the unity and plurality of forms. This topic became the major reason for the dispute between John Pecham and Thomas Aquinas in 1270. The main task of this paper is an attempt to grasp the foundation of John Pecham’s thesis on the plurality of forms in human being. John Pecham is considered a representative of Neoplatonism. On the one hand, he eagerly turns to the authority of Augustine (divine illumination, theory of the embryo rations, unity of soul and its faculties). He also draws from the “tradition” of the Franciscan masters, Alexander of Hales and Bonaventure. At the same time, he openly admits his inspirations on the views of Aristotle and Avicenna and especially appreciates Stagirite in solving stricte philosophical problems. This specific syncretism and eclecticism are especially visible in his theses on philosophical anthropology (psychology). In analysis of body and soul I may indicate at least three entwined components: Augustinian, Platonic and Avicennian.